USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan abruptly resigns

Merrigan has been a tireless advocate for local food production and marketing, organic
food and women farmers. She gave no reason or timing for her departure in
a statement
issued after noon. A USDA official told
Food Safety News that Merrigan plans to stay on through the end of April.

"It has been an ambitious first term," Merrigan said in the statement. "From implementing the
2008 farm bill, improving school meals, expanding opportunities for American farmers, spending
countless hours in the White House situation room, to shepherding USDA budgets through challenging
times, it has been an honor to play a small part in history."

USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack, who on Jan. 14 said he would stay on for a second term under the
Obama administration, issued this statement late Thursday:

"USDA Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan has helped USDA achieve record results over the past
four years. She has played a vital role in the department-wide focus on the Know Your Farmer, Know
Your Food initiative, as well as our efforts to achieve budget efficiencies and savings during an
uncertain budget time."

Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food seeks to connect farmers and consumers to
support local and regional food systems that increase economic opportunity in Rural America.

Merrigan also ran day-to-day operations of USDA programs and the agency's $149 billion budget.
USDA will have to cut each of its budget line items by 10 percent to achieve the savings required
by the sequestration process in the seven months remaining in the fiscal year,
Vilsack told the Columbus Dispatch during a late February interview.